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“Fair” Elections Act Charter Challenge

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The Council of Canadians defends the truest form of democracy – the right to vote freely. With the Canadian Federation of Students, we have launched a Charter challenge to the so-called “Fair” Elections Act has made it harder for students, Indigenous people, immigrants and others to vote.

This action follows our support for the historic legal case brought forward by seven brave Canadians that exposed election fraud and voter suppression in the 2011 federal election.

The new federal Minister of Democratic Institutions has been given the mandate to address the concerns that are at the heart of that challenge by introducing “amendments to the Canada Elections Act to make the Commissioner of Canada Elections more independent from Government … and repeal the elements of the Fair Elections Act which makes it harder for Canadians to vote and easier for election law breakers to evade punishment.”

Repealing elements of the Fair Elections Act will be an important step in restoring and enhancing the democratic rights of Canadians.

I have just returned from Parliament Hill, where I was asked to appear as a witness. Parliamentary committee members reviewing proposed changes to Canada’s federal election rules asked me to speak about the Council of Canadians’ legal challenge underway now to repeal the Harper government’s so-called Fair Elections Act.

While the Liberal party prepares for the next federal election, government lawyers are working hard to defend the voter suppression measures enacted by the Harper Government in the so-called Fair Elections Act.

I have just come back from a press conference on Parliament Hill and I am outraged. I was there on your behalf to send the Trudeau government a blunt message: Get on with passing Bill C-33 and your promise to repeal the so-called Fair Elections Act once and for all – before it’s too late.

Council of Canadians challenged Fair Elections Act in court July 2-3, 2015
Over 2,000 pages of powerful evidence were filed with the Ontario Superior Court demonstrating the dangerous effects of the Fair Elections Act on Canadian democracy. This Charter challenge has been brought by the Council of Canadians, the Canadian Federation of Students and two additional voters.

The applicants will be seeking a court order quashing provisions of the so-called Fair Elections Act, which will suppress the votes of tens of thousands of qualified electors. The evidence from four experts, including B.C.’s former Chief Electoral Officer Harry Neufeld, shows that tens of thousands of voters will be disenfranchised if the provisions being challenged remain in place.